The Easy Way to Find & Book Love Hotels in Japan
Japanese love hotels can be delightfully fun and kitschy–and now it’s super easy to book them online! A stay at a love hotel is a Japan travel must, especially if you’re traveling with your partner. They’re also usually very affordable, making them viable options for budget digs.
The first time I traveled to Japan over a decade ago, staying at a Japanese love hotel as a foreigner wasn’t so easy. You had to just wander around the right neighborhood until you found a hotel that looked promising. Nowadays there’s a great selection of love hotels available to book online. Here’s how:
Booking.com is the best bet for foreigners to find love hotels across Japan. We’ve included shortcuts to major cities and favorites below, but the search process is actually quite easy.
Just search for your preferred city and dates, then scroll down so that you can see the filters sidebar on the left. You should see an option under “Property Type” that says “Love Hotels.”
Not all of the love hotels available seem to be categorized correctly, so if you’re not seeing what you want, just do a general search for hotels in your preferred city. Anything that says “Adult Only” is a love hotel, and there’s a lot of them! Once you find one that strikes your fancy, booking is just a couple clicks away, no Japanese language proficiency required.
A Couple Notes:
The love hotels I’ve featured below are those with fun and over the top decor. But if you’re looking for something a little more toned down, you’ll find those in the search results as well.
One thing to keep in mind when browsing: some of the results you’ll see are a little outside of major cities and may not be close to a train station. Double check the location and the ease of getting there before you book!
Tokyo Love Hotels
Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya is famous, boasting some of the best love hotels in Tokyo. See some of our faves below, or click here to see all Tokyo Love Hotels.
Live out your Willy Wonka fantasies at the Sweets Hotel Machida.
The BaliAn Resort Forest is here if you need a bit of a vacation from your vacation.
Osaka Love Hotels
Osaka is famous for over the top love hotels. Click here to see all Osaka Love Hotels.
Hotel Jewelry & Jewelry has some very fun rooms with a sort of 90s luxe feel.
Yes, that is half of a VW Bug in this room at Hotel Public Jam.
Choose from one of the hyper-feminine rooms at Rose Lips Hotel.
Would this list be complete without a Hello Kitty themed room? Find this one at Hotel Route One.
I think it’s cave themed? Hotel Chou Juso also has a bunch of veerrry 80s rooms.
Kyoto Love Hotels
See our faves below, and click here to see all Kyoto Love Hotels.
Possibly my favorite on the entire list, I present to you Hotel Artia Dinosaur Hirakata. It’s a bit outside of Kyoto, but this is 100% worth the cab ride.
You won’t find a sexy glowing green bathtub at the Marriott is all I’m saying. Book it at Hotel In The Green.
Sweets Hotel is a actually a chain, and Kyoto boasts a location.
Hotel Chronos offers luxe Asian themed rooms.
Nagoya Love Hotels
Nagoya actually surprised us with the number of quirky love hotels available. See them all here.
Hotel Christmas exercises some restraint with their Christmas decor (though click through to the listing and you’ll see Santa perched on their roof!), but note the carefully glassed-off Christmas bulb display.
Vegas vibes abound at Hotel Artia Nagoya (and check out the photo gallery for the camel!)
Fukuoka Love Hotels
Even Fukuoka doesn’t disappoint when it comes to love hotels, with our favorite Christmas themed hotel so far. See all Fukuoka love hotels here.
Christmas themed loved hotels are bizarrely common, and Fukuoka Little Chapel Christmas goes all out with their decor.
Rooms at Hotel & Sweets are set up to look like a modern Japanese apartment or boutique hotel. But they’re serious about the “sweets” part with a beautiful pastry case in the impeccably decorated lobby.
Sapporo Love Hotels
Sapporo doesn’t have a large number of love hotels, but what do have is pretty fun. See all Sapporo love hotels here.
The first ultra kinky love hotel we’ve seen available to book online, that’s umm, exactly what you think it is at Hotel Vegas.
Hotel Pharaoh could commit to the theme a bit more in the room, but click on over to the listing and take look at the entrance!
FAQs about Japanese Love Hotels
More than just a place for amorous activities, love hotels are a getaway for many young couples who still live with their parents and want private time together. Because they’re used for a getaway for more than sex, love hotels often provide entertainment like in-room karaoke or video games.
There are of course love hotels with over the top themed rooms catering to particular kinks. However, many love hotel rooms are simply decorated to look like a luxury hotel or provide a romantic atmosphere.
As we discuss below, love hotels are very privacy focused, so you may not even see the clerk who checks you in.
If you’re just planning on staying for a night of fun, go with whatever floats your boat!
For travelers planning a longer stay at a love hotel, do check the amenities and location, the same as you would any hotel. Most love hotels should provide everything a normal hotel does like towels, toiletries and free wifi– and you’ll notice that many offer better amenities. Larger than normal room size for Japan, large whirlpool bathtubs, room service and more are common.
Regardless of how long you’re planning to stay, do carefully check the location. While many love hotels are in city centers and easy to get to, some are better accessed by car.
Finally, non-smokers should be sure to ask for a non-smoking room. Smoking in hotel rooms and restaurants is still common in Japan.
Love hotels are built around privacy, so don’t expect the normal reception desk setup. Once you step inside the entrance there’s usually a photo board inside with pictures of the available rooms lit up. You’ll choose a room and pay an attendant hidden behind a small window in the wall.
If you’ve pre-booked a room online, let the attendant know. Depending on how the hotel handles online bookings, you may still need to choose your room from the list of rooms currently available. Those who have their eye on a particular room should check with the hotel prior to booking to see if it can be reserved.
When walking in off the street for an impromptu room, you’ll choose from the available rooms and the length of time you want to stay. Love hotels generally have rates for “Rest” (2-3 hours) and “Stay” (overnight). Keep in mind that check in times for a “stay” can often be pretty late–10pm or later.
However, this late check in time is generally not true of online bookings. The check-in and check-out times for rooms booked online usually skew closer to normal hotel hours.
Prices will vary according to quality and popularity, but expect to pay $25 and up for a “Rest”, and $50 and up for a “Stay.”
Yes, love hotels are safe! Japan in general is a very safe country to travel in, and love hotels are patronized by a large swath of the population. As the demand for standard hotels increases in large cities, and love hotels attempt to appeal to tourists, the distinction between love hotels and boutique hotels is increasingly blurred.
Steer clear of anything that looks super run-down, but even in the shabbiest love hotels you’re unlikely to be in any danger.
Japanese love hotels are generally cleaned to high standards. I once stayed in a love hotel with a blacklight, which is a brave choice to say the least. Again, steer clear of love hotels that look shabby, but applying the same criteria you would with any hotel will serve you well.
Yes, love hotels are completely legal and regulated by the government.
The vast majority of love hotels will happily rent rooms to foreigners. When browsing rooms online, you will occasionally see a listing that specifies “Japanese only,” but these are the exception. Likewise, you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable walking into a love hotel and requesting a room. Most will be happy to serve you.
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